Myxobolus sp. r MT-2024 is an unclassified operational taxonomic unit (OTU) within the parasitic genus Myxobolus (family Myxobolidae), a highly derived group of microscopic cnidarians that have transitioned to an obligate endoparasitic lifestyle. Chronologically sequenced and analyzed in early 2024, this specific strain represents a critical breakthrough in myxozoan comparative genomics. Morphologically, it bypasses the multicellular polyp architecture of classical cnidarians, existing instead as macroscopic coelozoic or histozoic capsules (plasmodia) inside its freshwater fish host, where it produces specialized myxospores enclosed by hardened valves and equipped with distinctive polar capsules containing coiled polar filaments. Genomically, Myxobolus sp. r MT-2024 gained prominent scientific attention for possessing an exceptionally massive genome size for a myxozoan (estimated around 185 Mb), which is characterized by an ultra-high repetition rate exceeding 68% due to transposable element expansions like the MULE-MuDR. This reference asset provides fundamental clues regarding gene family expansions (such as serine proteases and hexokinases) alongside a heavily reduced mitochondrial genome, serving as a primary genomic model to dissect host-parasite interactions and the extreme evolutionary simplification within metazoans.
| Class | Species | NCBI Taxonomy ID | Assembly Level | GenBank Assembly | Assembly Name | Genome Size (Mb) | WGS Accession | Submitter | BioProject |
|---|
| Myxozoa | Myxobolus sp. r MT-2024 | 3122334 | Scaffold | GCA_041296195.1 | Mrasmusseni_flye | 166.5 | JBFCCO01 | University of Calgary | PRJNA1126311 |
| Chromosome Number | Scaffold Number | Contig Number | Protein Number | Protein-Coding Gene Number | Contig N50 | Scaffold N50 | GC content (%) | BUSCO completeness |
|---|
| - | 1078 | 1085 | 9,746 | 9,746 | 436980 | 436980 | 27.5 | C:39.2% [S:38.8%, D:0.4%], F:7.5%, M:53.3% |
| Title | Journal | Pubmed ID |
|---|
| The Highly Repetitive Genome of Myxobolus rasmusseni, an Emerging Myxozoan Parasite of Fathead Minnows | Genome Biology and Evolution | 39403974 |
